


Strong for too long

by seektheinfinite



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Angst, M/M, Protective Aaron, Relationship Issues, Scared Robert Sugden
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2017-02-02
Packaged: 2018-09-21 15:44:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9555728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seektheinfinite/pseuds/seektheinfinite
Summary: With Aaron facing time in prison, Robert can't be strong any longer. It's Aaron's turn to be strong for him, with Vic being the facilitator“I always let everyone down Aaron. I can’t do it anymore.” The tears were falling freely now and Robert was powerless to stop them. “I’m just so tired.”





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [smittenwithsugden](https://archiveofourown.org/users/smittenwithsugden/gifts).



“Right that’s it. I’m fed up with seeing you moping around, staring at the bottom of a pint glass. I finish in half an hour and you’re coming home with me. We can have a proper chat.” Victoria stood behind the bar with her hands on her hips, giving Robert a look that said she would have no arguments on the matter.

“I’m not moping Vic, I’m just enjoying a quiet drink. Is that a crime now?” Robert slurred back without looking at his sister.

“No Robert, having a quiet drink is not a crime. But you haven’t just had one, you’ve been sat there all day. And don’t try to tell me you’re not moping, you might be able to get away with telling other people that but I know you.

Slamming his pint down onto the bar, pushing his chair back he stood unsteadily, bracing himself against the bar. “Fine whatever. You’re not going to let up, so let’s go and have a chat, because that’s going to make everything better.”

Victoria frowned, shaking her head. “I still have half an hour Rob. Just sit down and try not to hurt yourself yeah.” She turned to Charity who was stood reading a magazine at the end of the bar. “Make sure he doesn’t have any more yeah?”

“Because I’m his keeper now. I’m not going to turn down money in the till.” With that she went back to flipping through her magazine, attempting to ignore the glare that Victoria was currently levelling at her.

Seeing that she was going to get nowhere with Charity she threw up her arms in a gesture of defeat before retreating to the kitchen and Marlon. If she ranted at him enough he might let her leave early just to get rid of her.

 

~~

“Right, start talking.” Vic handed him a cup of coffee, before sitting down in the chair opposite.

Robert scoffed at that, levelling his bloodshot eyes on his sister before replying. “We’ll you’re the one that said we needed to talk, so here I am. Waiting for you to talk. I’m fine.” He placed the steaming mug onto the table in front of him, before settling back into the sofa. “Could do with something a bit stronger though?” He indicated the discarded coffee.

She leant forward, “Right, firstly I think you’ve had more than enough. Getting drunk isn’t going to help anyone. Secondly, I said we needed to talk because I can see that this whole mess with Aaron is getting to you and I know that you won’t say anything to anyone, because that’s just what you do.”

Robert shrugged, before glancing down at his engagement ring, “I’m fine Vic. I’m not the one facing a prison sentence.”

Vic leant forward in her chair, before placing a comforting hand on his knee. “No Robert, you may not be the one facing a prison sentence, but you are the one facing losing his fiancé for however long. You are the one that will be left to look after Liv and the scrapyard and the haulage firm and the stuff with the Mill. You’re also the one that will be there for Aaron when he needs you, so I’m going to be here for you.”

He sighed then, pulling his leg away from her before getting up from the sofa and walking towards the window. “I don’t care about me Vic, I just don’t know how Aaron’s going to cope. It nearly killed him last time he was banged up. I don’t think I can stand to see him go through that again.” He turned back towards her then, tears threatening to spill. “I just want to make it all go away and I can’t.”

She was on her feet in an instant, closing the gap between them, pulling her brother down towards her for a hug. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. You’ll get through this, you and Aaron and you’ll both come out stronger for it.”

Robert pulled away from her, furiously swiping at his face to push away the tears. “I’m fine Vic, honestly. I just need to be strong for Aaron. I can’t fall apart right now, he doesn’t need that on top of everything else.”

Vic took hold of his arms, stopping him from walking away from her again as he turned to move. “You’re right, Aaron doesn’t need you falling apart which is exactly why you need to talk to him. You can’t just ignore this Rob. You have to accept that, despite what everyone keeps telling you, you’re not made of stone. You can’t be strong all the time.”

Shaking himself free from her grasp Robert pushed past her, practically running for the front door. “But that’s the problem Vic, I have to be strong, I can’t do anything else. I’ve failed everyone I love, I’m not going to fail Aaron now.

Before she could respond he was pulling the front door open, practically running down the path.

“Robert” She ran after him, shouting as he disappeared down the road, not caring that Pearl and Rhona were staring at her as they walked along the other side of the road.

~~

“Alright babe.” Adam called as he yanked the bumper from the car he’d been working on. “What you doing up here, thought you’d be at home putting your feet up.”

Victoria pulled her hands from her coat pockets where they had been hidden in an attempt to stave off the biting cold of the winter evening. She really didn’t want to get into why she was here with her husband, she just knew that she needed to see Aaron. “Is Aaron about?”

Adam tossed the bumper on top of the nearest pile of scrap, before nodding towards the porta cabin. “He’s in there. Everything okay?”

“It will be.” Vic gave his arm a squeeze as she walked past, making her way over to the cabin.

She opened the door to find Aaron inside, face wrinkled in concentration at the paperwork on his desk.

“Hey, Adam’s outside. Didn’t you see him on the way in?” Aaron glanced over to Victoria before going back to his paperwork.

Moving further into the cabin to close the door behind her, Vic replied “I’m actually here to see you, it’s about Robert.”

“Robert! Is he okay?” Aaron was on his feet in an instant, paperwork discarded on the desk, giving her a look of pure panic.

“He’s… Well he’s not fine, but it’s nothing serious. I just, have you talked to him recently?” Vic pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she spoke.

Aaron frowned, shaking his head. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“I think you should really go and speak to Robert.”

Aaron didn’t wait for her to say anymore, he was already half way out the door before she’d finished. Yelling at Adam that he’d be back later to finish off the paperwork.

~~

“Robert?!” Aaron had been searching for him for the last hour, trying every place that he could think of before he finally decided to check the one place that he never went, unless it was a special date. The graveyard. As he rounded the tree his eyes fell on Robert sitting in the middle of the grave stones, head resting on drawn up knees.

The only acknowledgement that the older man had heard him at all was the slight raising of his head before he dropped it back down onto his knees. Seeing that he wasn’t going to get an answer Aaron walked over to him, before kneeling next to him.

It took him a moment to work out where exactly they were but he quickly realised that they were sat right in the middle of Robert’s mum, his dad and Katie. He wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but if Robert was here, sitting alone in the dark and cold without a coat he knew it couldn’t be good.

“Rob.” He reached out a tentative hand to take hold of Robert’s which was dangling limp in front of him. “Jesus, you’re freezing. How long have you been out here?”

Again, there was no answer as he continued to ignore Aaron, this time not even moving his head.

“Robert? What’s going on? Victoria came to find me, said I needed to talk to you. Well I’m here, do you want to start talking.”

Robert let out a bitter laugh at those words, before lifting his head, eyes shining with unshed tears. “I don’t know what Vic told you Aaron but I’m fine. I don’t need – I don’t want to talk okay. Just go back to the pub and leave me alone. Please.” He couldn’t hide the hint of pleading in his voice on that last word, as he shifted his focus from Aaron to the gravestone in front of him.

Aaron shifted beside him, gently taking hold of his chin, and pulling his head around to face him. “You may not want to talk, but clearly we _need_ to talk. You’re sitting in the middle of a graveyard, in the dark Robert. That is not okay, and I am not going anywhere.”

“I always let everyone down Aaron. I can’t do it anymore.” The tears were falling freely now and Robert was powerless to stop them. “I’m just so tired.”

Pulling his sleeve down over his hand Aaron leant forward to wipe away Robert’s tears, before replying.

“What are you talking about? You’re amazing. You’ve never let anyone down.”

Robert waved his hand across the graves in front of him then, “Really. Why don’t you tell that to them? My dad always said I was a disappointment, I could never be the person he wanted me to be. Mum, I couldn’t, I couldn’t save her Aaron. The one time she really needed me and I wasn’t enough. And let’s not forget Katie, if I hadn’t driven her to do what she did she’d still be alive right now.

I thought I was getting better, becoming a better person. You made me a better person but here we are again, history repeating itself. Here I am falling apart when you need me to be strong. I’m letting you down right now.”

Aaron felt the anger rising in his chest as he pulled his hands away from Robert before jumping up and walking away from him. He needed just a few seconds to compose himself before he said something he knew he would regret.

“You know what, right now you are letting me down because you’re sitting in the middle of a graveyard at night, beating yourself up about the past instead of talking to me. I’m not some fragile ornament that’s going to break any second you know. You have to talk to me Robert and not keep everything to yourself. Please, just let me in.”

Robert sniffed, wiping his tears on his sleeve. “I can’t. I can’t dump all of this on you. You’re the one that’s facing a prison sentence, what have I got to be moaning about. I’ll be fine, I’m just having a moment. Honestly.”

Aaron spun around before bending down and grabbing Robert’s arms. He didn’t give him a chance to react before he was pulling him up onto his feet. “Stop it. Right now, just stop it. I don’t care how insignificant your problems are, which these are not by the way. We’re going to be married Robert, and I can’t do that if you can’t rely on me. I love you, so much, but right now I really want to punch you because you’re an idiot.

Yes, I might be going to prison and it’s probably going to be hell but I will get through it because I know I have you and Liv waiting for me on the outside. Please Robert, I won’t be able to stand it if I’m worrying about you all the time. And the only way that is not going to happen is if you actually start talking to me.”

Aaron wrapped his arms around Robert’s waist and pulled him into his chest, Robert crying freely now, unable to offer any sort of coherent reply. He lost track of how long they stood there, it was probably only seconds but when Robert was in his arms it felt like an eternity, and it was everything he needed to know that it was going to be okay; for both of them.

He pulled back slightly, just enough to be able to look Robert in the eye without having to let go. “Come on, let’s get back to the pub and get you warmed up. You’re going to catch your death if you stay out here much longer.

“I like that idea” Robert quipped, with a glint of something in his eye. “The warming up part I mean”

**Author's Note:**

> Join me on tumblr @beyondthebridge


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